With New Dawn, centenarian Marshall Allen hit the Guinness Book, becoming the oldest person to release a debut album and also the oldest person to release an album of new material. Most importantly, these fresh works by the longtime member and current director of the Sun Ra Arkestra cohere into a delightful listen, delving into a variety of styles with the assurance and flair that can only come from a wealth of experience. Allen is in top form, the band is deep, there is a string section, and Neneh Cherry guests on the title track. The record is out now on vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Week-End Records of Cologne, Germany, with Stateside distribution by Mexican Summer.

If it seems odd that Marshall Allen has just gotten around to releasing his debut as a leader in 2025, do keep in mind that two other high-profile Sun Ra Arkestra saxophonists, John Gilmore and Pat Patrick, only managed one LP each as a leader across lengthy careers, Gilmore sharing top billing with saxophonist Clifford Jordan on Blowing in from Chicago in 1957 through Blue Note, and Patrick seeing Sound Advice released in 1977 via Sun Ra’s Saturn label.

Allen has a bunch of recordings in his discography as co-leader including two from his quartet released in 1998 on the CIMP label that are considered collaborations with saxophonist Mark Whitecage. New Dawn is the first release solely credited to Allen, and it’s an achievement of striking ambition. A prologue featuring Allen on the Japanese koto sets the stage for “African Sunset,” a gorgeous ballad with Arkestra associate Knoel Scott on baritone sax.

Allen plays the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) for “African Sunset,” a distinctive element in an instrumental scheme that’s largeness of scale includes the aforementioned string section and Bruce Edwards’ clean toned guitar, as a highly accessible whole is established. And then the strings turn lush on the title track, a second balladic entry with bold sweep and impeccable execution in terms of atmosphere as Cherry contributes a superb vocal.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | “Pete Silverton’s passionate voice about music lives ever on in this transatlantic voyage between two seminal ports of rock and roll call and response. Illuminating paired music scenes through their iconic anthems, he reveals similarities and differences with a fan’s ear-witness to the process of creation and how geography affects the geology of rock as it begins to roll. —Lenny Kaye, author, producer, musician

How’s this for a surprising musical coincidence: Frank Sinatra cut his version of “New York, New York” within weeks of the Clash recording “London Calling” in 1979. That nearly simultaneous expression of optimistic striving and dystopic modernity is the jumping-off point for London Calling New York New York, a tale of two cities and two songs that came to exemplify them. Peter Silverton, the veteran English author and journalist who died in 2023, did numerous interviews and in-depth research to dig deep into the history and impact of the two songs on their respective cities. Combining musical scholarship, cultural analysis and personal memoir, London Calling New York New York is rich with wit, fascinating detail, and scholarly insight.

Although the book is about two popular songs from two different cultures, it also addresses nostalgia, mythmaking, family, crime, war, art, terrorism, politics, film, fidelity, and propaganda. From the Great Fire of London to a White Castle in the Bronx, from the Thames to the Hudson, Joe Strummer to George Gershwin, Noel Coward to Jay-Z, Primrose Hill to Yankee Stadium, Maggie Thatcher to Fiorello La Guardia, Silverton marshals connections and coincidences to illuminate the creative process and its enduring cultural impact.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | London Records are to reissue the only album by Sheffield electronic group The All Seeing I, Pickled Eggs & Sherbet, for the very first time on double vinyl on April 25th. Fully remastered, the cult classic album will also be available on an expanded double CD version which includes rare B-sides from lost CD singles and new mixes from All Seeing I’s DJ Parrot (aka Crooked Man). The reissue also includes sleeve notes by Jarvis Cocker, one of several Sheffield music legends to collaborate with the band, plus a brand new remix of the hit single “Walk Like A Panther” by pop alchemist The Reflex (Nile Rodgers, Noel Gallagher, Parcels, Cerrone, Roisin Murphy).

The All Seeing I were the production trio of Dean Honer, Jason Buckle, and Richard Barrett (aka DJ Parrot), formerly of influential Warp Records signings Sweet Exorcist. Originally lumped in with the late nineties Big Beat scene, there was far more imagination to The All Seeing I, who joyously brought together all the disparate threads of the Sheffield music scene past (and then) present on an album that could only have come from the “Steel City.”

In a 2016 interview with Music Radar Honer explained: “It was lo-fi, homemade bedroom production, mixed with the various influences that we brought to it. We had some Sheffield electronics in there, some working men’s club cabaret, all mixed with the lyrical wizardry of Jarvis Cocker.”

Buckle added: “I thought we were making pop music in our own upside-down way. It didn’t then, and still doesn’t, sound like anything else. We were one of the last of the ‘sample ‘n’ get away with it’ type bands. I just can’t believe that we got such odd-sounding things in the charts and on Top of the Pops!”

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Remembering Robbie Bachman, born on this date in 1953. —Ed.

I may or may not have once described that inimitable Bachman-Turner Overdrive sound as meat and potatoes rock, minus the meat. And I may or may not have once called them Bachman-Turner Overweight. But if I did so, I was joking. I love BTO. They remain, no doubt about it, Manitoba, Canada’s finest ever contribution to the un-fine arts. The music critic Robert Christgau, a fan as am I, once summoned up the band’s lead-footed lumberjack charm with the words, “Clomp on.”

BTO were about as subtle as a blow to the head; imagine a Canadian Bad Company. They playfully entitled their 1974 LP Not Fragile as a retort Yes’ LP Fragile, because they felt their music could be “dropped and kicked” without suffering any damage. Hard rock doesn’t come any harder than this; when they call a song “Sledgehammer,” they’re not pussyfooting around like that English fop Peter Gabriel.

No, this is blue-collar rock, and to paraphrase Lynyrd Skynyrd, all you effete pencil pushers are advised to stay out of BTO’s way, especially when C. Fred Turner’s doing the singing. Compared to his gruff, no-nonsense vocals, Randy Bachman may as well be Mariah Carey.

It’s a pity that BTO is perhaps best remembered as the band that brought us “Takin’ Care of Business,” because while nobody in the band strikes me as a Mensa candidate, “Takin’ Care of Business” is too dumb for words. Me, I’d sooner remember them for such great songs as “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” “Roll on Down the Highway,” and “Let It Ride,” to name just a few of the band’s keepers.

Not Fragile’s title track is a midnight creeper, and could easily pass for a Spinal Tap song, and I mean that as a compliment. The only thing cooler than Turner’s singing, “Comin’ to you cross country/ Hoping boogie’s still allowed/ You ask do we play heavy music/ Well, are thunderheads just another cloud, And we do/ Not fragile, straight at you” is the way R. Bachman intones the words, “Not fragile” behind him. The guitar solo is pretty cool too.

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Based in Athens, GA with connections to the Elephant 6 scene, The Rishis are built around the songwriting prowess of Sofie Lute and Ranjan Avasthi, with members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, and Elf Power contributing to the recordings, of which there are now two; their self-titled sophomore effort, with Mac McCaughan of Superchunk/Portastatic and Robert Schnieder of Apples in Stereo on board as guests, arrives February 21 through the combined forces of Cloud Recordings and the Primordial Void label. The Rishis’ sound is subtly psychedelic without ever abandoning song form, as a wide range of styles get integrated into the mix.

The Rishis debuted with August Moon in June of 2022, a full-bodied and confident set of psych-pop that set a high standard for what has now followed. The Rishis do fit into the Elephant 6 scheme of things, but not in a blatantly obvious way. They aren’t as edgy or out-there as Neutral Milk Hotel or Of Montreal, nor are they as overtly psychedelic an experience as Olivia Tremor Control.

Furthermore, The Rishis aren’t as relentlessly catchy as Robert Schnieder’s numerous bands, although “Coloring” does open their new LP with a bit of upbeat, almost sunshiny pop. Along the way, the song’s appeal gets boosted by a few strategic guitar maneuvers that are reminiscent of All Things Must Pass. And there is a horn that hints at the Ladybug Transistor, which is a nice touch.

“Miles” follows with some wistful strum pop augmented by a shaking tambourine, and then “Buffalo” slows the pace even more for a savvy blend of bowed strings, plucked banjo and vocal harmonies. If the presence of banjo nods toward country, “Ride” deepens the connection with pedal steel, though the strings and harmonies continue to solidify the psych underpinning that bonds the ten songs on this set into a cohesive whole.

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We’ve closed TVD’s HQ for the Presidents Day holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?

Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here tomorrow, 2/18.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Tiger Style Records and The Numero Group are proud to present the epic 25th anniversary edition of Will You Find Me, the acclaimed fourth studio album by the legendary New York City indie rock band Ida. The deluxe box set arrives on Friday, April 25 on 4xLP, limited edition 4xLP “This Water” vinyl (Transparent Cloudy Clear), and 5xCD. The vinyl features 34 additional tracks, and the CD features 89. Pre-orders are available now.

The newly augmented Will You Find Me—25th Anniversary Edition 5CD Box Set collects the original 14-track album alongside a whopping 89 never-before-heard outtakes, alternate mixes, 4-track demos, and covers from Ida’s extensive archive. The accompanying 64-page booklet documents the history of Will You Find Me with stunning photographs and an extensive blow-by-blow essay by award-winning writer Douglas Wolk. Among the collection’s myriad highlights is a previously unreleased rendition of NYC singer-songwriter Lori Carson’s “Black Thumb,” premiering everywhere today. In addition, a special teaser video is streaming now.

Ida will mark the return of Will You Find Me with an eagerly awaited US tour alongside old friends and fellow indie rock icons Tsunami. Dates begin March 22 at Woodstock, NY’s Levon Helm Studios and continue through a release day show set for April 25 at Los Angeles, CA’s Lodge Room. Tickets for all announced dates and additional information can be found HERE.

Ida was founded in 1992 by NYC-based singers/guitarists Daniel Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell, bringing together a wide variety of disparate influences into a singular minimalist brand of experimental pop all their own. Ida made their debut with 1994’s luminous Tales of Brave Ida, released on Tsunami frontwoman Jenny Toomey’s hugely influential Simple Machines label.

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Celebrating Conor Oberst in advance of his birthdate tomorrow.
—Ed.

You know you’re in trouble when the most uplifting song on an LP is about a fatal airline crash. And yet in the case of the 2005 LP I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Bright Eyes’ front man Conor Oberst somehow makes it work. This album may not be a mood elevator, but it’s lovely from spiritually charged beginning to political end, thanks in part to Oberst’s excellent lyrics and thanks in part to the melodies, doleful as they often are.

Folk influenced, but with touches of musical discord, “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” left me cold at first, with the exception of the airplane crash classic, “At the Bottom of Everything.” But it slowly grew on me, like fuzzy green mold on the animated corpse of Rod Stewart. Oberst may truck in depression, and his idea of a happy song may involve mass death, but he’s not taking life lying down.

On “Ode to Joy” (which borrows, musically, from Beethoven), for instance, he defiantly faces down the darkness at noon, raging against the futility of war to the accompaniment of some cool guitar feedback before tossing in the great lines, “Well I could have been a famous singer/If I had someone else’s voice/But failure’s always sounded better/Let’s fuck it up boys, make some noise!” If all he’d written in his life were those last two lines, I would still love the man.

“We Are Nowhere and It’s Now” boasts a lovely melody and the vocals of Emmylou Harris, dueting with Oberst. Oberst is falling apart, what with the waitress at his favorite bar looking concerned and the drugs he’s taking giving him a “head full of pesticide.” The trumpet is great, the vocals are transcendental, and somebody else’s suffering has never sounded so good.

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Parthenon Huxley is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer largely known for his work with the band ELO Part II (The Orchestra).

Born in Louisiana and raised in Greece and North Carolina, Huxley began his career in the late 1970s, gaining recognition for his solo work as well as collaborations with various artists.

He spent time in the 1970s as staff writer for MCA in New York, released his first solo album on Columbia, spent many years in LA working with a wide range of artists as a producer and guitarist including extensive work with Mark Oliver Everett of The Eels. He has released over ten studio albums and has recently released his memoir entitled Electric Light Odyssey.

Radar features discussions with artists and industry leaders who are creators and devotees of music and is produced by Dylan Hundley and The Vinyl District. Dylan Hundley is an artist and performer, and the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis and all things at Darling Black. She co-curates and hosts Salon Lulu which is a New York based multidisciplinary performance series. She is also a cast member of the iconic New York film Metropolitan.

A half century and change down the line, it boggles the imagination to think that Flint, Michigan’s Grand Funk (with or without that “Railroad”) were one of the biggest touring acts of the early Seventies. The proof lies in this shocking factoid—in 1971 (the Chinese “Year of the Funk”) the trio of Mark, Don, and Mel sold out Shea Stadium in 72 hours. It took The Beatles (The Beatles!) several weeks to do the same.

Manager Terry Knight was a key driver of the band’s success, and his messianic belief in their world importance took a hilarious turn in his liner notes (written on parchment scroll!) to the 1972 compilation Mark, Don & Mel. Wherein he compares “the Funk” to Moses, Cleopatra, and Napoleon and writes, “From the dawn of recorded history, stemming through the lifetimes of every man, woman and child who ever walked upon the earth, there have been but a handful whose fate it was to become known as Phenomenon.” It was quite a tribute to a band whose output included songs like “High Falootin’ Woman,” but you have to admire his grandiosity.

Knight’s hype, a manic album release schedule and over-the-top promotion (a huge billboard in NYC’s Times Square) helped fuel the fire, but Grand Funk did it mostly on their own, with nonstop touring and a high-energy, “obnoxiously loud” live show that emphasized shirtless torsos over finesse, subtlety, and great songs. Guitarist Mark Farner, drummer Don Brewer, and bassist Mel Schacher were three groovy dudes fashioning clunky, workmanlike grooves that not only achieved highly amplified mediocrity but came to personify it.

They were rock populists (fans loved ‘em, critics loathed ‘em) playing sledgehammer and potatoes rock for the zonked-out kid brothers of siblings whose musical palettes were more sophisticated, which is to say they were most likely listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. What a horrible time.

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